Beethoven Concert

“The Beethoven Männerchor, in a lifetime of some twelve or fifteen years, has grown to be one of the most flourishing of our German choral societies. Under the skillful leadership of Mr. Carl Traeger, and the presidency of Mr. Ohmeis, whose liberality has largely contributed to its prosperity, it has steadily advanced in numbers, wealth, and morale, and on Saturday evening, killing two birds with one stone, celebrated the Beethoven centennial and the house-warming of its new club house in Fifth street, just off Third avenue. The building is large, handsomely and substantially built, and contains everything needed for the comfort and amusement of the numerous members (nearly a hundred) of the society. On the first floor is a large room for those beatitudes, beer, ‘backy, and billiards; on the second, a ladies’ room and banqueting hall, for just such occasions as that on Saturday; and on the third, an excellent music hall and anterooms for the choral and orchestral performances of the club.

“The concert opened appropriately with Beethoven’s overture, Opus 124, ‘Die Weihe des Hauses,’ or the ‘House-Warming,’ which was smoothly and effectively rendered, though the Philharmonic concert on the same night had carried off some valuable members of the orchestra. Prominent numbers of the programme were the ‘Adelaide,’ by Herr Habelmann; Beethoven’s sonata, Opus 47, for pianoforte and violin, exquisitely played by Messrs. Mills and and Mollenhauer; and the chorus ‘Die Ehre Gottes,’ given by the Club with spirit and accuracy, and fine, manly body of tone.

“The newness of the house, kitchen arrangements, service, &c, gave to the subsequent ‘banquet’ a very funny air of picnic and scrambling adventure [concludes with a discussion of the banquet].”

“With German robustness, however, the Beethoven Maennerchor proceeded to give another, and wholly different entertainment, entirely from the works of BEETHOVEN, on the Saturday evening following. While the great concert of the Philharmonic was going on, there was another in a little hall in Fifth-stree, where the master was honored with equal fervor. The programme comprised the rarely-heard overture, ‘The Opening of the House,’ or, as we should put it, the ‘Dedication of the Temple,’ for the fresh joyous march, and the bursts from the wind instruments turn the thoughts to Greek skies and temples, and processions of priests and virgins, and the suggestion is heightened by the final rejoicings of the multitude. The quartet No. 16, for piano, violin, viola and violoncello, that followed, was delightfully played by Messrs. PECHER, DANZ, ZEISS and WERNER. This is one of those early works of BEETHOVEN, in which the influence of HAYDN and MOZART are still traceable. Why can we so seldom hear a string quartet [sic] in New-York? The andantino was so exquisitely tender and melodious that one cannot believe that such music would be unacceptable to the most uncultured ear. The pièce de résistance was a solo and chorus from the oratorio ‘Christus am Oerlberge’—a grand and impressive, but most difficult work, sung with much power and heartiness by a large chorus. The solo introduced us to a Mme. DAVIS, who went courageously through an arduous task, and whose beautiful voice we should be happy to hear again. The rest of the programme was in keeping with the instances described, and we can only wish that such concerts were more numerous, and that concert-givers and goers could be brought to see that a sufficient variety is attainable by adhering to the works of one master, or, at least, one school.”